The Hidden North
North European travel guide
self-guided walks
Røros
Follow this self-guided walk for Røros, one of the most fascinating UNESCO World Heritage sites in Norway. Established as a mining town in the 17th century, Røros is today one of the best-preserved settlements in Norway.
What You Get
- Historic overview of Røros (with photos of what the city used to look like)
- Printable map with the route and major landmarks highlights
- Link to a Google Map that can located onto your phone
- Clear directions with English and Norwegian names of places, addresses and step-by-step buides
- Photos of each point of interest
- Detailed overview of buildings, landmarks, history, and people relevant to the tour
This guide is 13 pages and comes in a PDF format.
UNESCO World Heritage
Røros was established in the 17th century as an important mining town. The town has remarkably kept its original appearance and street plan and has seldom been affected by modern development. Røros is a lovely place to explore on foot!
Trip Highlights
- See the iconic Røros Church
- Pass by wooden houses from the 18th and 19th centuries
- Learn about the mining history of Røros
Distance
1.3km (0.8 miles)
Activity Level
Level 2 – There are some sections with steep-ish inclines. The slag pile especially is a level 2. Walking around the town itself is a level 1.
Start Location
Smeltehytta Museum
End Location
Slag pile
Example of what the guide looks like.
Itinerary
This is a summarised itinerary. More stops are included in the walk.
Smeltehytta Museum
A Smeltehytta – or smelting cabin in English – is the place where the copper ore underwent a long and laborious smelting process before the finished product was exported.
Røros Church
Røros Church was built between 1780 and 1784. It was built by the mining company – they were in charge of both the costs and the construction. The price was the equivalent of 450 miners’ yearly salaries!
Trygstad Bakery
In 1899, 22-year-old Edvard Trygstad came to Røros to work as a manager of the Engzelius’ bakery in Finnvega. Seven years later, in 1906, he started his own business.
Bergmannsgata
You’ll see many houses in Røros have wide openings – this was for the farm animals. The town is made up of around 300 of these farms/houses – called smallholdings. From the middle of the 1950s and until 1980 the last farms closed down. Today there are no cows in Røros, but there are still some horses in the stables.
A typical house had 4-6 cows. Some of the properties on Bergmannsgata could be considered large dairy farms.
Røros Town Hall
The building is from 1780 and today is one of the best architectural buildings in Røros. It is built in a Louis-style. Above the front door is the Røros Kobberverks emblem. The office was on the ground floor and an apartment was on the second floor.
Sleggveien
The houses on Sleggveien give some idea of the social history of mining. In the five houses at the top of the road lived day labourers, craftsmen, gypsies and others who had no permanent work for the Kobberverk and no land to farm. The women earned a living as domestic servants in the houses of those who were better off. Among the craftsmen living in the street was a cobbler, a clock and watch repairman and engraver, and several musicians.